Minamisanriku

What to know

Minamisanriku (南三陸) has endured repeated tsunamis over the centuries, including a major one in 1960. Despite awareness and precautions, the 2011 tsunami struck on an unprecedented scale, quickly overtopping seawalls and sweeping through the town center, leaving only foundations and broken buildings. Many evacuation zones were flooded, and a large number of lives were lost.

Since the disaster, rubble has been cleared and the former city center raised by over ten meters. Only a few buildings remain standing. One is the gutted red skeleton of Minamisanriku's Crisis Management Center, which has become a symbol of the town and a memorial to those who died and the heroic city workers who broadcast emergency messages until they were overwhelmed by the waves.

In 2012, the San San Shopping Village, a recovery market of about 30 shops and restaurants, opened in temporary buildings two kilometers inland, serving locals and tourists. At the end of 2016, the market closed and reopened permanently on elevated land closer to the coast in 2017. Several restaurants offer local seafood dishes.

Centered around the ruins of the Crisis Management Center, a memorial park fully opened in Minamisanriku's former town center in October 2020. It can be reached via a pedestrian bridge from the San San Shopping Village. Nearby stands the excellent Minamisanriku 311 Memorial, where visitors can participate in learning programs about natural disasters.

From Sendai Station (how to get to Sendai), take the JR Tohoku Line to Kogota and change to a train to Maeyachi or Yanaizu Station. From there, take the JR bus to Minamisanriku. Get off at the Shizugawa bus stop, a short walk from the San San Shopping Village and memorial park. The entire journey takes about 150 minutes, costs 1660 yen, and is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass, JR East Pass, and JR East South Hokkaido Pass. There are good connections approximately once per hour.

Miyagi Kotsu (Miyako) operates a few buses per day between Sendai (how to get to Sendai) and Minamisanriku. The one-way ride takes about 100 minutes and costs 1900 yen. Sets of two tickets, usable in either direction, are available for 3500 yen.